(indieWIRE/5.1.2000) — Lions Gate has acquired the North American rightsto Alex Winter‘s, “Fever,” which debuted during last year’s Director’sFortnight at Cannes.

“‘Fever’ is a dark and subtle film, and Lions Gate has just the kind ofsophistication and savvy to market it,” commented director Alex Winterin a prepared statement, “I’m very excited by their participation.”

The film, which stars Henry Thomas (“E.T.,” “Legends of The Fall“),David O’Hara (“Braveheart“), Teri Hatcher (“Lois & Clark“), andBill Duke (“Payback“), was sold to Lions Gate by Sloss Law. Winter,who is best known for his role as Bill in “Bill and Ted’s ExcellentAdventure,” co-wrote, co-directed and starred in “Freaked.”

(indieWIRE/5.1.2000) — “Trick” writer Jason Schafer is among thewriter/producers on board to bring Britain’s controversial TV series,“Queer as Folk,” to America. The program is being adapted for U.S.audiences with Showtime greenlighting 22 episodes.

In an announcement timed to coincide with this past weekend’sMillennium March on Washington for Equality, Showtime unveiled plansfor a program that would seem to fit its own advertising slogan —“No Limits.”

Created by Russell T. Davies, who will consult on the American version,“Queer as Folk” aired as an eight episode series on Channel 4 last yearand caused an uproar for its frank and sometimes graphic portrayal ofthe lives of a group of gay men living in Manchester. While acclaimed,the series was also criticized by some for its uncensored depiction ofhomosexual sex, including an ongoing relationship between a 29-year-oldlead character and a 15-year-old student. “Queer as Folk” concludedearlier this year with a two-hour finale and has gained popularity herein America as a bootleg tape and via screenings at film festivals.

Set to debut later this year, according to Showtime, the American versionwill be set in a “working class eastern U.S. city.” The network continued,“The characters will be ‘American cousins’ of their British counterparts,but with their own homegrown backgrounds, voices and experiences.”

While not officialy announced yet, filmmaker Joel Schumacher (who has beendeveloping the project since last year) is expected to direct the U.S.version’s two-hour opener. Joining Jason Schafer as writer/producers areRichard Kramer (“Tales of the City“) and Jonathan Tolins (“Twilight ofthe Golds“), while Ron Cowen & Daniel Lippman (“An Early Frost,”“Sisters“) will executive produce with former Warner Bros. TV PresidentTony Jonas. [Eugene Hernandez]

>>IFILM Adds Development Resources

(indieWIRE/5.1.2000) — IFILM is adding a two new companies toits collection of film resources. The company is acquiringTVtracker.com and The Development Source, two leading resourcesfor tracking film and television projects in development.

“These acquisitions mark another milestone in IFILM’s effortsto become the one-stop online resource for the entertainmentindustry professional,” stated Kevin Wendle, CEO of IFILM, ina prepared statement. “These two companies track criticalinformation that are used by film and television executiveson a daily basis, and we are pleased that they are now partof the IFILM family.”

The deals bolster IFILM’s resources, including recent acquisitionsof The Hollywood Creative Directory, studioXchange, ScriptShark,and Lone Eagle Publishing. IFILM is expected to fold its newcompanies into the IFILMpro.com site as part of a relaunch thissummer. [Eugene Hernandez]